Nilliajut (to speak up, speak out)

Nilliajut is a series developed by Inuit Qaujisarvingat to capture and showcase Inuit perspectives on important topics affecting their daily lives.

Inuit Perspectives on Security, Patriotism and Sovereignty

The first Nilliajut captured Inuit perspectives on Security, Patriotism and Sovereignty. This project was done in partnership with the Munk-Gordon Arctic Security Program under the Arctic Peoples and Security pillar. Over the course of a year Inuit Qaujisarvingat asked Inuit questions like "what are the best ways to ensure your security?" "do you feel you are patriotic, why or why not?" and "what does sovereignty mean to you". This was all done through a number of different platforms.

Edited Volume

The Edited Volume was designed to allow a variety of authors to contribute their perspectives to discussions around Arctic sovereignty and security.We allowed great flexibility in the style, form and length of papers allowing authors creativity in writing a piece that truly portrayed their perspectives and work.

You can download a copy of the Edited Volume in English or Inuktitut. You can also view the entire Edited Volume online.

Film

Nilliajut: Inuit Voices on Arctic Security, is a powerful film that highlights quotes from a series of interviews with Inuit for this project. Watch the 20 min film below:

Bibliography

A bibliography of key resources was also developed. This bibliography was aimed to complement the new work being created under this project and highlight Inuit-specific resources and grey literature that currently exists. View the bibliography here.

Culmination Conference

This project was launched at the Arctic Peoples and Security Conference, hosted by the Walter Duncan Gordon Foundation in January, 2013. The conference website has additional information.

Quotes

"It is well known that the Arctic is an important global player, and soon the Canadian government will take over as Chair of the Arctic Council. Issues of Arctic sovereignty, security, and militarization have attracted surging interest in the Arctic, creating increasing demands for the best available information. There is a need to understand and include the diverse and unique perspectives of Inuit, as citizens of Canada and stewards of the Arctic." -Scot Nickels, Director of Inuit Qaujisarvingat

"What does security mean to Inuit? Security doesn’t come from the comfort that some find in icebreakers, sonar detectors and Arctic military capabilities. Security from our societal perspective comes from access to the basic essentials of life – food, shelter and water." -Udloriak Hanson, Co-Chair of the Arctic Peoples and Security Research Pillar, Munk-Gordon Arctic Security Program

Inuit Perspectives of the Northwest Passage

The second Nilliajut is currently underway to capture Inuit perspectives of the Northwest Passage. It is being done in partnership with Oceans North Canada. This will include a number of similar products as the first Nilliajut.